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Clooney loved space long before "Gravity"

In fact his love for the stars started when he was eight

As kids we probably were fascinated with space at some point; the infinite possibilities that lie beyond the stars and the curiosity of what else is out there are (or were) totally irresistable. Unbeknownst to most, George Clooney is lumped into this camp of space geeks. Here, he recounts the awe his 8-year old self had for the astronauts that made it to the moon and beyond, in the movies.

“It was the most exciting time to be a kid. We knew all the astronaut’s names. We even ate the food that the astronauts ate… During one of our vacations, we drove through Neil Armstrong’s hometown, simply because we wanted to drive through his hometown. The astronauts were that big a deal to us.”

Perhaps it was at this very moment in time that Clooney had Omega branded into his mind as he recounts that all the kids knew astronauts wore Omega watches. “Omega was absolutely part of the space programme when I was growing up. Omega was about precision time… and it seemed like the space program was a natural progression.”

More than that, long before Clooney became ambassador for Omega, the brand was already a part of his life. His father presented him with his watch as a gift. “He brought it down from the attic, after putting it away for 20 years,” says Clooney, “and he wound it and it started running again. It was a special moment. I grew up with that watch on his arm.”

This year Omega celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Speedmaster, the watch that was built for professional race car drivers but ended up leaving a legacy as the watch that went to space.